The UHLS Tank

History
Before what would become known as D-Day, the Allies realized they needed a heavy tank capable of going deep into enemy defenses, last a long time even under fire, and be nigh impossible to surround. This was due to how hardened German defenses were in the days leading up to D-Day. So to remedy this, Allied Tank Designers got together and brought out the Multi-Turreted Tank concept. Despite such designs typically failing in the past, it was decided to create an ultra-heavy tank prototype. Thus, the first UHLS, or Ultra-Heavy-Landship, was created. This early model had two 76mm guns, and one 105mm howitzer, which was raised above the former two, and during testing, it proved its worth as a tank that was nearly unkillable, even against the 128mm Pak 44 from the front, and to an extent, the flanks as well. The 105mm howitzer was shown to lack penetration, so it was scrapped in favor of using the 105mm T5E1 instead, and this proved much more satisfactory in testing against captured German tanks. They also added two 30mm autocannons in two smaller turrets, placed near the 105mm gun between the 76mm guns, which allowed it to fend off lighter targets like Armored Cars, Light Tanks, Infantry, etc. Thus, the UHLS model 1 was completed. The Allies also developed a new engine for the UHLS, which was capable of producing an absurd 945 horsepower while staying compact, which gave the UHLS Model 1 a top speed of 30 mp/h, or 48 km/h.

With the basic design down and made, Britain, the USA, and the Soviet Union put their own spins on the UHLS Model 1. The British made the UHLS Model 2, which sacrificed the separate 30mm turrets to enlarge the 76mm guns to add in 4 autocannons each. The USSR made the UHLS Model 3 V1 and V2, both of which involved rocket launchers. Finally, the USA made the initial design for the UHLS Model 4. However, there was some arguments on what gun should be used on the UHLS Model 4, which was to be an open air SPG. The British wanted to use their BL 7.2 Inch Howitzer. The US wanted to use a 183mm AT Gun, and the Russians wanted to use their 183mm Flak Gun. In the end, they compromised by making a new Flak Gun that could fill numerous roles in one. This new cannon, the LSMG(Land-Ship-Mounted-Gun)-183 was capable of filling the roles of a howitzer, Anti-Tank Gun, and a long range Flak Gun with its special "barrel shortening" design, where the barrel could be modified in the field to be longer or shorter depending on the situation by the crew.

With the 4 different models created, they were put into factory production. However, the UHLS' greatest flaw quickly appeared: It was very expensive. Thus in order to test it's capabilities, they made two of each model, eight in total, and assigned it to a brand new elite breakthrough tank unit: Green Day. Lead by Willy Nathans and composed of veterans of the ongoing war, they were sent to storm Omaha Beach. They were the only tanks to arrive on the beach, but there they saw great success. The UHLS' massive size allowed for infantry to take cover from machine gun fire and artillery, and the powerful armament allowed for Green Day to breach the defenses and continue in land. Following this success, many more UHLS Units were created.

The UHLS saw use in the Pacific against the Japanese, where a new model was created: The UHLS Model 5. Taking a UHLS Model 1, it replaced all the cannons save for a co-axial 75mm gun in the commander's turret, with heavy flamethrowers. It proved extremely effective against infantry and flushing out enemy defenses. It also made it very easy to form large paths for other tanks in jungles by burning through. Finally, the UHLS was used in the invasion of the Japanese Mainland, in Operation Downfall.

In the modern day, the UHLS is but a fascinating and powerful relic of Alt-WW2. However, the UHLS Model 3 V2, Model 4, and Model 5 all still see service to an extent in their potency for long ranged strikes and the usage of flamethrowers in defeating stubborn enemy defenses. These three are modernized with MBT armor and engines.